When Matt and Nan moved from Long Island to Virginia more than 30 years ago with two babies in tow, they did so with a dream for the future. Loudoun County offered beautiful landscapes, great public schools, and an opportunity to build a life for themselves and their children. From a rented split-level in the Sterling Community of Countryside, to a townhouse in Cascades, to a 1920’s bungalow in the middle of Purcellville, to a new home build on seven acres outside of Hillsboro, each new home was woven into the collective memory of the Bowe Family.
Time to Right Size
In 2006, with two of their three children off to college, it was time to right-size for the next stage of their lives. They chose a solidly built brick ranch-style home on 2 wooded acres located between Purcellville and Round Hill. The home was smaller than their previous one, dated, and cut-up with small rooms and a lot of partition walls, but Nan and Matt saw the potential it had for a transformation that would take advantage of its good bones and the idyllic lot. Nan began cultivating flower and vegetable gardens along with a fishpond and waterfall, while Matt completed a bathroom remodel, painting, small alterations, and land clearing. In the meantime, plans were brewing for a total transformation of the home that would completely alter their indoor living environment in a major way.
Transformation
Finally, the time arrived to start the transformation. The roof was restructured, and half of the house was gutted to the studs. Interior partitions were removed to combine three rooms into one large, vaulted great room and kitchen. The covered side porch was enclosed, vaulted, and incorporated into the open-concept plan becoming a sun-filled dining room that feels suspended among the trees that surround the house. The result is an open, beautiful, and functional family gathering area with a cozy fireplace, custom builtin cabinetry, a kitchen island big enough for the whole family to gather around, and a dining area flooded with natural light. Nan’s artistic touches are everywhere, from her oil paintings adorning the walls, to her handmade ceramic tiles on the backsplash behind the stove, to the Fall bouquet of wildflowers picked from around the property.
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Time for Family
Nan still finds herself in awe of the space and the fact that it is hers. More important than the beauty of the newly renovated space, is what it has meant for them in terms of how they live in the home. When asked about the biggest change that the new layout has offered, Matt and Nan both express, “We are now able to all gather together, family and friends, in one large open, connected space and move effortlessly from one area to another while remaining connected. This is a big change from the cramped, isolated rooms that the original home offered.”
Today, the grandkids are visiting and baking with Nana. They are making Baking Powder Biscuits, a recipe that Nan’s own mother, Great-Grandma Nolan, taught her to make as a child. When they finish cutting biscuits, they spill out into the yard under a canopy of beech trees to burn off some energy chasing after the chickens.
Matt shares, “So many people struggle with insufficient housing, housing insecurity or simply an uninspired house that does not meet their needs. Our home is modest in size, for sure, but it suits us so well and we are grateful for it. We are so fortunate to have this home and this property, transformed in a way that speaks to our lives and how our family lives.”
For Nan and Matt, this renovation wasn’t just about having an updated or trendy space (Nan has never been one to follow trends). Rather, it was about creating a space where the life they began together 36 years ago could continue to evolve and thrive. Because in the end, the most important quality of a home is its ability to complement, enhance and improve the lives of those who dwell inside.
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